1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a catching tool and a method of designing a catching tool, and more particularly, it relates to a catching tool such as a baseball or softball glove and a method of designing this catching tool.
2. Description of the Background Art
For example, Japanese Patent Laying-Open No. 2002-126153 (Conventional Example 1) describes a conventional catching tool.
Conventional Example 1 discloses a catching tool comprising a front leather member formed by sewing a leather pocket portion and a leather back face portion, a back leather member, inserted in the front leather member, formed by sewing a leather palm portion and a leather back portion and a core member, stored in the front leather member, having reinforcing side portions.
“A study of finger pressure distribution at catching a ball in the baseball glove” by Norikazu NINOMIYA et al. (the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers “No. 00-38” Symposium Lecture Collection, the Japan Society of Mechanical Engineers, Corporation Aggregate, November 2000, p. 17-20) (Conventional Example 2) discloses a method of measuring finger pressure distribution in a baseball glove at the time of catching a ball with a thin grip distribution measuring system.
However, the aforementioned catching tool has the following problem:
At the time of catching a ball, movements of the fingers of a wearer of the catching tool vary with the wearer having characteristics specific to his/her position, for example. Therefore, it is desirable to provide a catching tool enabling the wearer to readily catch a ball in response to his/her manner of application of finger power.
However, neither Conventional Example 1 nor Conventional Example 2 discloses the idea of designing a catching tool responsive to the characteristics of finger movements of the wearer.
From a viewpoint different from the above, neither Conventional Example 1 nor Conventional Example 2 discloses an idea of providing a reinforcer on an inner leather palm (palm portion).